IT has been a busy time as successful projects get underway and we have been administering claims and checking evidence for our Farming in Protected Landscapes grant scheme agreements, and we have suddenly become busier as DEFRA have decided to leave the application window for FIPL open.
There is now no opening and closing date for the grant scheme, it will run continuously until the end of 2024 while we have enough of our budget left to fund projects.
This has seen a flurry of activity as people contact us about potential new projects. If you are a farmer or land manager and have a project which is about climate, nature, people or place do get in touch. There are more details on our website www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/FiPL.
It has been great to see so many interesting projects getting funding, including habitat creation on farms and diversification ideas. As well as FIPL I have also been busy feeding back the findings of our ELM test in the Upper Derwent catchment (largely Borrowdale and Newlands) to DEFRA staff. They were very interested in how much prominence was given to the public good ‘Beauty, Heritage and Engagement’ in the area plan the farmers and specialist advisers wrote together.
I spent a day with Richard Leafe the CEO of the Lake District National Park visiting farmers and looking at how farmers led nature recovery is transforming areas of the North Lakes through the addition of shelter belts of trees, replacing relic hedges and river renaturalisation- all enhancing the farmers core businesses delivering quality food products.
I also visited the Ambleside Farmers Discussion Group to talk about the work that the Lake District National Park Authority is doing with farmers across the park.
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